Since joining PCL in 2005 as a field engineer, he has become a project manager with a growing roster of projects stretching from Florida to Texas. Hise was instrumental as a project manager for Pump House 27, a critical part of the Motiva refinery project in Port Arthur, Texas, that will allow production to nearly triple. Before that, he was responsible for managing the refractory subcontract at the Ashgrove cement plant expansion project in Foreman, Ark.

"Working in industrial construction, you have the opportunity to travel all over the U.S.," says Hise. "It has been great to be able to meet and work with colleagues from all over. I have made many lasting relationships that have helped me advance in my career."

Hise has received corporate recognition for his work, but he also uses PCL's community programs to give back. His involvement in local charities includes the United Way and the Hughen Center, a Port Arthur group that helps those with physical disabilities find opportunities.

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JOSEPH

Joseph F. Joseph
Managing megafirm's "cultural shift" to leveraging new technology
36, Managing Director
SAIC
Oklahoma City, Okla.

Joe Joseph joined SAIC in 2010 to oversee a full strategic implementation of building information modeling (BIM) in its design and construction business.

"I'm in charge of a cultural shift within our organization, helping architects, engineers and the construction arm of our company adopt and understand how to leverage the new age of technology to collaboratively and intelligently design and deliver projects to our customers," he says.

Joseph established an advanced technologies team specializing in BIM implementation and software development and virtual design and construction on multi-million dollar design-build projects. With a 100% success rate in meeting project performance margins, he is set to complete 8 million sq ft of BIM-enabled project work in 28 months.

Outside of the office, Joseph serves on the boards of the Oklahoma City Community College and the University of Central Oklahoma. As a testicular-cancer survivor, he also is dedicated to improving education, treatment and local fundraising to fight the disease.

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KUCHERA

Sarah Kuchera
Exec puts buildings together while she breaks glass ceilings at firm
38, Associate Principal
ccrd partners
Dallas, Texas

Sarah Kuchera opted to pursue an architectural engineering degree at Kansas State University because she "loved understanding how buildings went together and how even the small part you were designing had a bigger impact on the bigger building," she says. In her current role at ccrd partners, Kuchera manages anywhere from five to ten projects at a time, some small, some large.

"Currently I'm working primarily on health-care projects," she says. "We've got a wide range of projects that takes us all across the country since we specialize in health-care design." Kuchera's most recent project for the Children's Health Systems of Birmingham in Birmingham, Ala., includes a 750,000-sq-ft hospital expansion as well as a new central utility plant located more than three city blocks away from the building it serves.

In 2009, Kuchera was promoted to associate principal and shareholder, making her the first woman to reach both milestones at the firm. She has also been the driving force behind several programs in ccrd to advance technology proficiency and quality